Etch and a Half

The new Debian "Etch and a half" sub-project is looking to improve hardware compatibility with kernel updates and drivers for Debian 4.0 Linux.

The project members are looking to add kernel packages and possibly X drivers to the current stable version of Debian. They would preferably like to introduce the brand-new kernel 2.6.24, however, as there are some doubts on its stability, kernel 2.6.22 has been adopted as an alternative.

The project will not be introducing updates for reasons other than improving hardware compatibility. For example, it will not be introducing updates for the desktop environment. The reasons for this, according to the project's leader Dann Frazier, are the scope of the changes that this would entail, the lack of transparency for users, and the risk of instability. Apart from this, any package that imrpoves hardware support could be posted on the etch and a half mailing list. "Etch and a half is not limited to kernel packages” Frazier explained.